Morry Gash, The Associated PressAll eyes were on Tiger Woods as he made his return to competitive golf during the first round of the Masters on Thursday. Woods shot 68, which included two eagles, and is two shots off the lead.

Augusta, Ga. -- When Tiger Woods returned to Augusta National on Thursday to begin a second life, what did he find?

Well, take a look at the leaderboard, and it wasn't all those red numbers that caught your eye.

It was the Golden Oldies.

When it comes to date of birth, it's unlikely the Masters ever had an older bunch of senior citizens in red.

Fred Couples, on top at 6-under par, is 50.

Tom Watson, a stroke behind, is 60.

At age 52, you had two former Masters champions -- Sandy Lyle, who shot 69, and Bernhard Langer, who shot 71.

"What's happening out here?'' you could almost hear Woods, at 34, shout after shooting 68 following five months of Hall of Infamy distractions.

"I can't explain it, '' said Couples, who quickly became the Tiger Woods of the Champions Tour once he left the younger set. "It's just happening. I'm not surprised. I'm thrilled.''

Couples strung together one of those easy-as-you-go 66s -- a seven-birdie, one-bogey gem highlighted by putts from 6 feet to 20 feet, coupled with some dead-on chips to save par.

Let the record show Couples became the first golfer to shoot 66 in a major championship wearing tennis shoes and no socks.

Probably, they'll be coming soon to a golf shop near you.

Probably, also, there has to be a run on whatever Watson is drinking.

The man who last year came within a whisker of winning the British Open at age 59 fashioned a no-bogey 67 with another exhibition of ball-striking and putting.

"I think a big part of my success was having my son as a caddy, '' he said. "He proposed marriage to his fiancée during a practice round. On the first tee today, he said, 'Dad, show me you can still play this golf course.' "

Watson said the course was there for the taking.

"They had the tees up, and they had decent pin positions, '' said Watson. "I think they wanted to see this championship get going with a lot of low scores.''

As for his goals, Watson said they're simple.

"I want to play better than I have in the last six years, '' he said. "I have to play better than 90 percent on this course. My putting has been above 90 percent, and that has been a huge factor.''

Another factor, he suggested, has been a special kind of "afterglow'' following his near miss in the British Open at Turnberry.

"The glow comes from the people who watched it and who have come up to me and told me what they thought of it. I can't tell you how many people have come up to me and said, 'you've proven to me I'm not too old.' The Champions Tour has been great for golf. It means something because of the competition.''

Can a golden oldie win the Masters?

"It would be a long shot, but I think it can be done, '' he said. "Look at Freddie. He can carry the ball 300 yards in the air. That's a long way for a 50-year-old. It's possible.''

It's also possible Woods, a 5-to-1 favorite despite all of his problems, can make the morning line folks look smarter than some pundits feel about his chances.

Woods' 68 included two eagles, three birdies and three bogeys.

"I hit the ball well and made some good putts, '' said Tiger. "From the looks of things, with all those guys in red numbers, this is going to be a wide-open championship. I tried to make up for the long layoff with intense practice sessions. We'll see how that works out in the next few days.''